The Gates

Your neighbours aren't who they appear to be.

The Gates was an ABC 2010 show, revolving around a rich suburban community and its... unique inhabitants.

Police Officer Nick Monohan and his family have just moved from the Chicago to the titular suburban community of The Gates, hoping to escape from some bad memories. The community welcomes them with open arms, but it soon becomes obvious that there are several people in The Gates with secrets. The Radcliffs are a vampire couple trying to raise their adopted human daughter without endangering her with their lifestyle. Brett and several of his friends at the high school are werewolves. The local MD Peg and Spa owner Devon are both witches, but with very different motivations. However, they all live in The Gates because it offers protection from the outside world, and would do anything to help their families.

Its cancellation was announced in October 2010.

Tropes used in The Gates include:

• Anguished Declaration of Love: Brett to Andie in "What Lies Beneath", episode 1X02. Of course, taking into consideration the revelation about Andie later in the episode, it isn't Brett's fault.
• Asskicking Equals Authority: Werewolf hierarchy. If you beat the Alpha in a fight, you become the new Alpha.
• Beat Still My Heart: Leigh Turner apparently keeps hers in a box.
• Black Best Friend: Mia is this to Andie.
• Blackmail
• Came Back Wrong: Charlie.
• Cowboy Cop: And odd example because he also happens to be Da Chief and he gets pissed that his subordinates aren't cowboys like him.
• Dirty Cop: The late Officer Phelps.
  • Also, arguably, Nick. We know that he carried out a Vigilante Execution on a suspect and then lied to make it look like self defense. The fact that he lost his job implies that not everyone bought it. Notably though unlike most dirty cops, Nick isn't corrupt so much as a victim of his own Cowboy Cop personality.
• Emergency Transformation: Subverted, as it was administered too late.
  • Happened to Kat Russo, but she didn't take it too well.
• Eye Scream: Milder than most but Devon seduces a gentleman, possibly a werewolf, online and invites him to her place. Then she drowns him in her tub and takes his eyes.
• Eyes of Gold: Apparently common for werewolves.
• Friendly Neighborhood Vampire: The Ratcliffes
• Fur Against Fang: While not an all-out war, the mothers in The Gates who are werewolves do not like to associate with the vampire wives.

Karen: Claire! With all the sunscreen you used, I'm sure a facial would do wonders.
Claire: [holds up silver ornament] Silver choker?

• • Both sides don’t associate with each other in the outside world and can only live side by side inside The Gates because of a truce, which is almost broken in "Dog Eat Dog."
• Glamour Failure: Subverted. The vampires put on sunscreen before they go outside, and show up in pictures.
• Good Witch Versus Bad Witch: Peg and Devon, respectively.
• Gray and Grey Morality: It's possible to make a case for any of the characters who have had enough screen time being the Woobie. But it could also be argued that they had bad intentions, and that their mistakes are unjustifiable.
• Gut Feeling: Nick goes snooping around the Radcliffe's property at 3 AM because his "instincts" tell him there's "something going on" with them. The fact that he was right is irrelevant.
• Horny Devils: Andie Bates.
• Hot Mom: Sarah and Claire are both quite attractive mothers.
• How We Got Here: "Identity Crisis"
• I Hate You, Vampire Dad: Kat Russo, who swears to kill not only her maker, but every vampire everywhere.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: Sarah doesn't care what Nick thinks is going on with the Radcliffs, and tells him as much. Dylan and Claire as well, to a certain extent.
• Kiss of Death: Andie nearly kills Charlie when her Succubus side takes over.
  • And she does it again in "Jurisdiction," though this time she manages to stop herself.
• Lesbian Vampire: Gloria Bennett
• Life Energy: Succubi burn through their naturally generated supply quicker than normal people, and so they seek out men to replenish their own sources.
• Love Square: Andie, Brett, Charlie and most recently, Lexie.
• The Masquerade: The Gates in general. Also the monstrous inhabitants towards the normal members of the Gates.
  • There are normal inhabitants?
    • The Monohan family, at the least, and so far Marcus seems to be a Muggle. Time will tell on that, though.
    • Dylan stated that about 90% of the gates inhabitants are muggles.
  • Notably Sarah is the focus of this among the adult cast though how much of that is concern for her and how much is because she's friends with the bad witch is up in the air.
• Mistaken for Gay: Charlie when his mom hears about him falling for Andie.
• Not Using the V Word: While the word succubus is used freely, the vampires and werewolves never get called that. Even when asked directly.

Nick:What are you?!
Dylan: You know what I am.

• • Averted later, with the word vampire thrown around with wild abandon. They still tend to refer to themselves as "our people," though.
  • Particularly, it's usually the vampires that do so and often with some reluctant. Nick seems more comfortable keeping that little bit of difference and Dylan seems trying very hard to be normal. It seems as much the uncomfortable nature of talking about it casually, the danger of untrustworthy people knowing, and that most people in The Gates being Muggles that makes everyone talk about what they are in roundabout ways. The better to hide it as a more innocuous conversation.
• Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here: Sarah wishes this was true.
• Our Vampires Are Different: Sunscreen lets a vampire walk around in daylight, holy water was made up by the Church, and garlic just gives Dylan heartburn.
• Our Werewolves Are Different: Become full wolves and aren't controlled by the full moon. Have superhuman strength, Super Senses, a Healing Factor, and Super Jumping capabilities while in their human form. Silver has been implied to be harmful to them, but no specifics have been shown or described.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning
• Stealth Pun: Peg is a witch. Who is also an MD. That’s right, she’s a witch doctor.
• Stepford Smiler: Karen Crezski
• Stepford Suburbia: The supernatural inhabitants of The Gates come here to be safe. Of course, they also take their dirty little secrets with them.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Lukas Ford is seen as an embarrassment by his father Simon, but earns his respect by beating him up.
• Werewolf-Detecting Horses
• The Woobie: Anyone, as long as the viewer finds them sympathetic. See Gray and Grey Morality above.
  • Devon is perhaps the notable exception as she seems to go out of her way to be catty with everyone that wrongs her or that she considers a threat of some sort. Everyone else she seems to consider useful and just manipulates them.